Three global food trends and where to find them in Dubai

If you’re still feasting on kale smoothies and avocado on toast for breakfast, you need to find a time machine and travel out of the past.

Food trends are evolving at a lightning-fast pace, and we’re already half way through the year. Tune into some of 2017’s hottest food trends, and find out whether you can stomach them.

Turmeric latte

If Dubai has been your stomping ground for a while, you’ll be no stranger to turmeric. Whether it’s at your local curry stop or in a stale packet of spice mix on a dusty shelf in your pantry, this ancient Indian spice is what adds that signature sun-kissed glow to yellow dishes.

Stepping up its game, it has now graduated from balti bowls to coffee cups. You read that right – turmeric lattes are the drink of the season, promising to do everything from relieve muscle ache to give you radiant skin. For centuries, turmeric has been used for cooking, curing sore stomachs, and pre-wedding facials in India. It’s now found a cosy spot on Pinterest and Instagram – snuggled between vibrant shots of acai smoothie bowls and freshly picked bouquets of kale.

Where to find it: Wild & The Moon at Al Serkal Avenue in Al Quoz serves up a Golden Latte, packed with hits of turmeric, cardamom, and black pepper.

Filipino food

Filipino food

If no-fuss and no-frills, author and chef, Anthony Bourdain’s said it – then it must be true! Bourdain is just one of the growing throng of culinary enthusiasts that have predicted the rise of Filipino food on the global dinner table. Packed with punchy notes of sweet, savoury, and sneaky bursts of sour – a Filipino meal leaves no taste bud behind. Dubai residents have the brilliant opportunity to explore this emerging trend in their own backyard! If you’ve heard the legend of balut (boiled egg containing a fully-developed bird embryo), you’ll be hard-pressed to find it in Dubai. Although, rumour has it that there’s an underground vendor that sells them out of his car’s trunk in Bur Dubai.

Where to find it: For an authentic night out, head over to “Little Manila”, where a large chunk of Dubai’s Kabayan population lives and eats (Al Hudaiba Street in Satwa).

Ornamental egg yolk

Ornamental egg yolks

A culinary version of Pantone’s annual trending colour predictions, McCormick (an international herbs and spice manufacturer) releases a flavour forecast every year. This year’s report was drizzled with egg yolk – whether it’s a sunny blob slapped in the middle of a shakshouka or a claggy mound of cured yolk loaded up with texture and umami. The next time you’re whipping up an egg-white omelette, leave in the yolk as a snack for your Instagram grid. While the notorious yolk usually gets a bad rap, it’s packed with essential fatty acids and a wealth of nutrients and vitamins. Eggs don’t have to be restricted to breakfast either, mix the yolk with a bowl of rice and a splash of soy sauce for an indulgent snack. Or just throw it on top of whatever’s on your plate and get clicking!

Where to find it: Chase after some of Dubai prettiest egg dishes at Eggspectation on JBR The Walk, Tom & Serg in Al Quoz, and Happy Egg in Jumeirah.